“Now that Malachi and Berengar are dead, who is left who possesses the secrets of the library?” “The abbot, and the abbot must now hand them on to Benno . . . if he chooses. . . .” “Why do you say ‘if he chooses’?” “Because Benno is young, and he was named assistant while Malachi was still alive; being assistant librarian is different from being librarian. By tradition, the librarian later becomes abbot. . . .” “Ah, so that is it. . . . That is why the post of librarian is so coveted.
